Journey to Freedom

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This week, Jews all over the world are celebrating the festival of Passover, the story of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  A close reading of the Biblical narrative demonstrates that before the Israelites could leave Egypt they needed to take action on their own behalf.  They did this, in part, through the Passover offering and smearing the blood on the doorposts and lintels of their homes.  And, they asked their Egyptian neighbors for parting gifts of silver and gold.  Only when they embraced agency, when they took action for themselves, could the final battle set them free.

As many generations have learned over the past several centuries, freedom must be won, it is hardly ever granted without a struggle.  Sometimes this struggle is bloodless, most often it requires great sacrifice.  The ancient Israelites did not win their freedom overnight.  Our tradition teaches that it took years from Moses'. first demand of the Pharoah to Let My People Go. In my youth, Peter, Paul and Mary asked how many years must some people live before they're allowed to be free?

This question is facing the people of Ukraine right now.  For them, as with the ancient Israelites, freedom is a matter of life and death.  How long must they fight before the rest of the world forcefully insists on their right to be free?  The ancient story of the Israelites' liberation is retold in every generation, but not always by the Jewish people.  

In our homes, we tell the story of the liberation through the use of ancient symbols - a shank bone, bitter herb and unleavened bread, matzah.  The most important of these symbols today is the matzah, which represents both our affliction in Egypt and our liberation.  In Egypt, we ate matzah as slaves, upon leaving Egypt we ate it as a free people.  

The story of the liberation of the ancient Israelites has inspired people in many places to engage in their own quest for liberation.  In this sense, it is not just a Jewish story, but rather a universal story.  For centuries, humans everywhere have sought greater freedom - the right to live as they choose, to choose the leaders they follow and to follow their conscience in matters of the spirit.  During this season, we pray that people who are now oppressed will soon be free.  We pray that those who are sacrificing for freedom will win their battles.  There is no more precious gift that one generation can bequeath to the next generation than freedom.  May the blessings of freedom and liberty resound throughout the world speedily and forever.